Madarij Tafaqquh al-Hanbali
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- Dar Takween for Studies and Research
Madarij Tafaqquh al-Hanbali (The Rungs of Hanbali Juristic Training) is a contemporary guide to legal methodology by the Saudi jurist Ahmad bin Nasir al-Quaymi, outlining a structured curriculum for the progressive study of the late Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence .
Background and Purpose
Al-Quaymi composed the work as a practical curriculum designed to prevent students from squandering time without a clear educational roadmap . The author completed the original draft in Rabi' al-Awwal 1435 AH (January 2014 CE) and issued an expanded second edition in Rabi' al-Awwal 1437 AH (December 2015 CE) from al-Hufuf in al-Ahsa .
The work adopts the analytical framework established by Ala al-Din al-Mardawi (d. 885 AH / 1480 CE) in the introduction to his al-Tanqih al-Mushbi', identifying al-Mardawi as the foundational editor and verifier of the late Hanbali school whose assessments serve as the benchmark for subsequent authorities . The book aims to cultivate a well-grounded juristic aptitude (malaka fiqhiyya) by training the student in substantive law (furu'), legal theory (usul al-fiqh), legal maxims (qawa'id), distinctions (furuq), parallel cases (ashbah), and the textual and rational evidences of the school .
Structure and Content
The book opens with a preliminary overview defining the Hanbali school and examining the chronological tiers of its scholars, adhering to the tripartite division that designates the late period (al-muta'akhkhirun) as beginning with al-Mardawi . The curriculum itself is arranged into two sequential stages:
First Stage (al-Marhala al-Ula)
This stage is aimed at building foundational competence through the study of five concise primers alongside their commentaries and glosses, culminating in Mansur al-Buhuti's (d. 1051 AH / 1641 CE) al-Rawd al-Murbi' :
- Akhsar al-Mukhtasarat by Ibn Balban (d. 1083 AH / 1672 CE)
- 'Umdat al-Talib by Mansur al-Buhuti
- Dalil al-Talib by Mar'i al-Karmi (d. 1033 AH / 1624 CE)
- Kafi al-Mubtadi by Ibn Balban
- Zad al-Mustaqni' by Musa al-Hajjawi (d. 968 AH / 1560 CE)
For students not specializing strictly in law, al-Quaymi notes that one may suffice with three of these primers (Zad al-Mustaqni', Dalil al-Talib, and Akhsar al-Mukhtasarat) or even a single text before reading al-Rawd al-Murbi' . The author outlines core instructional targets for this stage: clarifying terminology, accurately conceptualizing each legal scenario (taswir al-mas'ala), identifying its legal ruling (hukm), and grasping its scriptural or rational evidence (dalil) and mode of deduction (wajh al-dalala) . This section also underscores the role of text memorization, highlights recurring legal parameters and thresholds (dawabit), notes cases where the primers diverge from the school's relied-upon position, and surveys major Hanbali hadith compilations of legal rulings, such as 'Umdat al-Ahkam, al-Muharrar, and Kifayat al-Mustaqni' .
Second Stage (al-Marhala al-Thaniya)
This advanced stage centers on the comprehensive study of Muntaha al-Iradat by Ibn al-Najjar al-Futuhi (d. 972 AH / 1564 CE), complemented by reading al-Hajjawi's al-Iqna' and Mar'i al-Karmi's Ghayat al-Muntaha . The author advises beginners to refrain from engaging with this stage until the first is thoroughly digested, owing to the depth and complexity of its legal verifications .
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